Railroad boxcar side construction

ABSTRACT

A boxcar side having a sidewall of single sheathed construction comprising a plurality of vertical sheets connected to and disposed between side posts. The sheets are provided with inwardly pressed panels of rectangular dish-shaped configuration vertically spaced to provide therebetween a plurality of longitudinally extending areas in the original plane of the sheets and horizontally spaced to provide therebetween a plurality of vertically extending areas also in the original plane of the sheets with the several areas intersecting whereby to provide a waffle pattern on the inner side of the sidewalls. The horizontal areas have contained therein anchoring members which extend continuously from each doorpost to respectively opposite ends of the car and to which cargo restraining beams may be connected. The anchoring members are disposed entirely within the areas so as to provide a generally flush inner side with the surface of said panels. The vertical areas are covered with a coverplate providing with said panels a smooth inner surface. The coverplates are apertured to provide access to lading strap anchor bars which are disposed in said vertical areas and which terminate short of said anchoring members.

United States Patent 3,410,228 11/1968 Burretal 3,427,998 2/1969 SoddyABSTRACT: A boxcar side having a sidewall of single sheathedconstruction comprising a plurality of vertical sheets connected to anddisposed between side posts. The sheets are provided with inwardlypressed panels of rectangular dishshaped configuration vertically spacedto provide therebetween a plurality of longitudinally extending areas inthe original plane of the sheets and horizontally spaced to providetherebetween a plurality of vertically extending areas also in theoriginal plane of the sheets with the several areas intersecting wherebyto provide a waffle pattern on the inner side of the sidewalls. Thehorizontal areas have contained therein anchoring members which extendcontinuously from each doorpost to respectively opposite ends of the carand to which cargo restraining beams may be connected. The anchoringmembers are disposed entirely within the areas so as to provide agenerally flush inner side with the surface of said panels. The verticalareas are covered with a coverplate providing with said panels a smoothinner surface. The coverplates are apertured to provide access to ladingstrap anchor bars which are disposed in said vertical areas and whichterminate short of said anchoring members.

PATENTEU JUN22 I971 SHEET 1 0F 2 M& E

ATT'Y.

R O T W m WILLIAM R SHAVER BY y mm mm w 34 mm RAILROAD BOXCAR SIDECONSTRUCTION SUMMARY The railroad car of the present invention comprisescar sides of single sheath construction. The sides consist of individualsheets which are connected between and to vertical side posts positionedin horizontally spaced relation from the doorposts to opposite ends ofthe car. The side sheets are formed with inwardly extending panels orcorrugations serving to stiffen and reinforce the single sheathed sides.The corrugations or panels are so formed on the inner surface of thesides as to provide a plurality of longitudinally extending areastherebetween which communicate with vertically extending horizontallyspaced areas extending normal relative the horizontal areas and alsodisposed between adjacent panels.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a single sheathed sideor wall construction which will accommodate both belt rails and ladingstrap anchors and provide a substantially smooth inner surface whichwill prevent damage to lading. The belt rails are secured within thehorizontal areas and are substantially coextensive therewith. They areso disposed that they do not project beyond the inside surface of thepanels or corrugations and thereby will not present any obstruction withrespect to lading in the car. The vertical areas are provided withsections of a lading strap anchor rod to which lading straps may besecured in conventional fashion. These are also disposed within thevertical areas so as not to project beyond the surface of the panels anda coverplate is provided over the vertical areas and anchor rods withopenings providing access to the rods at vertically spaced intervals.These covers also serve to provide a substantially continuous smoothsurface on the inner sides of the sidewalls of the car.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of arailway car body showing an improved wall construction;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view taken substantially along the line 5-5 ofFIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a railway car side showing the innerwall portion of the same.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION A railway car in FIG. 1 is generally designated bythe reference character 10 and includes a conventional un derframe 11supporting a boxcar body having sidewalls 12. Each sidewall 12 isprovided with a door opening 13 defined by a pair of horizontally spacedvertically extending doorposts 14. As best shown in FIGS. I and 3 eachsidewall 12 is provided with an upper sideplate 15 having an upperhorizontal roof supporting flange 16, a vertical web 17, a lowerdiverging flange 18, and a depending flange 19. The sideplate extendscontinuously along the length of the sidewall 12. The underframe 11 alsoincludes a pair of horizontally spaced longitudinally extending sidesill angle members 21 to which the subsill channel members areconnected. The side sill members 21 provide attaching means for thelower marginal edges of the single thickness side sheathing 23. Thesheathing 23 comprises a plurality of vertical sheets or wall portions24 having marginal portions 25 suitably secured by means of welding toflanges 26 of side posts 27. As best shown in FIG. 2 the side posts 27are of hat-shaped cross section with outwardly extending flanges 26. Thehat-sections are closed by means of suitable vertically extendingsidewall plates 28 which in turn have their marginal vertical edgeportions welded to the flanges 26 together with the edge portions 25 ofthe sidewall sheets 24.

Each of the vertical wall sheets 24 is provided with a plurality ofvertically spaced rectangular dish-shaped panels 29 which are pressedinto the material so as to project inwardly into the car with respect tothe marginal edge portions 25. The panels 29 thus extend in verticallyand horizontally spaced relation with the panels 29 being alignedhorizontally and vertically. Each of the dish-shaped panels 29 isprovided with side or end walls 30, a top wall 31, and a bottom wall 32as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. The disposition of the panels 29 providein the inner surface of each sidewall 12 a plurality of verticallyspaced longitudinally extending areas 33 and a plurality of horizontallyspaced vertically extending areas 34 which intersect or communicate withthe horizontal areas 33 thus completely surrounding the panels 29 andboth such areas are in outwardly offset relation to the plane of theinner surface of the panels. The panel areas 29 may be comprised of aplurality of inward corrugations if preferred. Each of the areas 33 hassuitably mounted therein a belt rail or anchoring member 35 to whichcrossbars may be suitably connected for restraining lading duringtransit. Such a belt rail and associated structure is disclosed inDunlap U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,086 granted .Ian. 1, I963.

The vertical areas 34 as best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are suitablycovered by means of a closure or coverplate 37 which includes a wallportion 36 having its lower and upper margins terminating in verticallyspaced relation from the belt rail 35. The lower and upper margins ofthe coverplates 37 are substantially in the plane of the top and bottomwalls 3 32. The coverplates 37 are also provided with verticallyextending flanges 38 suitably welded to the sidewalls 30 of the panels29. The vertical wall portion 36 of each of the plates 37 is suitablyprovided with vertical apertures 39 to provide access to lading strapanchor rods 40 connected to the vertical sideplates 28. Inwardlyextending guide flanges 41 extend from the apertures 39 adjacent therods 40 to facilitate insertion of lading straps through the openingsprovided by the spacing of said rods 40 from plates 28 at verticalintervals.

The function of lading strap anchors is of course well known in the artand need not further be described. The closure or coverplate 37 as wellas the anchors 40 terminate in spaced relation relative to the beltrails 35. The anchor 40 may also be attached to the coverplate 37instead of the plate 23 in which case the apertures 39 may comprise aplurality of vertically spaced openings along the coverplate with thecoverplate constructed to provide sufficient rigidity for the ladingstrap anchor 40.

In the embodiment of the invention disclosed the horizontal belt rails35 extend continuously between the doorposts and the respectivelyopposite ends of the car and the vertical lading strap anchor rods 40are interrupted at the belt rails so that the anchor rods are disposedat vertically spaced intervals extending only between the belt rails.However, if desired the vertically disposed lading strap anchor rods 40may be constructed to extend uninterruptedly throughout their height andthe belt rails arranged in individual sections extending only betweenthe respectively adjacent lading strap anchor rods so that the anchorsthen will extend continuously from top to bottom and the belt railsections while interrupted by the vertical anchor rods will affordlongitudinally aligned rails for the attachment of loader bars generallyin any manner required by lading conditions in areas of the car havingthe belt rails so disposed. With either arrangement of the belt railsand anchor strap rods it is apparent, as best shown in FIG. 6, that theinterior of the sidewall presents a substantially flush surfacethroughout the car side thus preventing any damage which might occur dueto shifting of the load in transit and its engagement with projectingportions of securing means which are present in prior art structures.

What I claim is:

1. A railroad car comprising:

a vertical sidewall,

said sidewall having a plurality of vertically extending interconnectedside sheets spaced horizontally of one another,

each side sheet having a plurality of vertically spaced central dishedpanel portions on theexterior side thereof and upper and lowerhorizontally extending outwardly protruding exterior edge portions onthe exterior side thereof and first and second vertically extendingoutwardly protruding exterior edge portions on the exterior sidethereof, the inwardly facing wall portions of said dished panel portionsforming the inside wall portions and the vertically and horizontallyextending edge portions forming on the interior of the car verticallyand horizon tally extending interior recessed portions at the peripheryof the inside wall portions of the car,

the dished panel portions of each sheet being in generalhorizontalalignment with the dished portions of the adjacent panelportions and sidewall plate means interconnecting the vertically andhorizontally extending interior recessed portions of adjacent sidesheets defining therewith interior continuous horizontal and verticallading anchor mounting surface portions, the plate means interio'rsurface portion and the inside wall portions providing a generally flatcontinuous inside wall,

exterior vertically extending car mounted side post means mounted overthe outside of sidewall plate means and between adjacent dished panelportions,

vertically extending lading anchor means being mounted on the interiorsurface portions of the plate means, and

horizontally extending lading anchor means being over the adjacentinterconnected vertically and horizontally extending interior recessedportions.

2. The invention according to claim 1, and

interior lading coverplate means extending over the vertically extendinglading anchor means on the inside wall between respective verticallyspaced dished panel portions of respective sheets.

3. The invention according to claim 2, and

said coverplate means including a cutout portion providing access to thevertically extending lading anchor means.

1. A railroad car comprising: a vertical sidewall, said sidewall havinga plurality of vertically extending interconnected side sheets spacedhorizontally of one another, each side sheet having a plurality ofvertically spaced central dished panel portions on the exterior sidethereof and upper and lower horizontally extending outwardly protrudingexterior edge portions on the exterior side thereof and first and secondvertically extending outwardly protruding exterior edge portions on theexterior side thereof, the inwardly facing wall portions of said dishedpanel portions forming the inside wall portions and the vertically andhorizontally extending edge portions forming on the interior of the carvertically and horizontally extending interior recessed portions at theperiphery of the inside wall portions of the car, the dished panelportions of each sheet being in general horizontal alignment with thedished portions of the adjacent panel portions and sidewall plate meansinterconnecting the vertically and horizontally extending interiorrecessed portions of adjacent side sheets defining therewith interiorcontinuous horizontal and vertical lading anchor mounting surfaceportions, the plate means interior surface portion and the inside wallportions providing a generally flat continuous inside wall, exteriorvertically extending car mounted side post means mounted over theoutside of sidewall plate means and between adjacent dished panelportions, vertically extending lading anchor means being mounted on theinterior surface portions of the plate means, and horizontally extendinglading anchor means being over the adjacent interconnected verticallyand horizontally extending interior recessed portions.
 2. The inventionaccording to claim 1, and interior lading coverplate means extendingover the vertically extending lading anchor means on the inside wallbetween respective vertically spaced dished panel portions of respectivesheets.
 3. The invention according to claim 2, and said coverplate meansincluding a cutout portion providing access to the vertically extendinglading ancHor means.